Observation: As the students walked into the classroom Mrs. Brocato was setting up resetting the power point on the smart board to the beginning of the presentation. I am not sure how she would normally spend her time right before the students came in, because on this day she spent that time chatting to me about the last class, which had just ended. As the students took their seats they took out their homework and then began the Do Now assignment. A few students needed to be reminded to start the Do Now because they were chatting with their friends, but the majority started immediately. The Do Now can be found on the white board under the instructions on what to do upon entering the class (take your seat, take out homework, ect.). This list is always on the board with only the Do Now assignment changing from day to day.
The class officially began about five minutes after the first student came in. To begin class Mrs. Brocato first checked all of the homework assignments, giving students a stamp in their binder for having their work. After the homework had been checked she discussed the Do Now, which was for the students to write down three professions that used measurements. This class time was generally informal and reminded me of a lively discussion one might witness in a college class. It was structured enough but also with a lot of humor and back and forth between Mrs. Brocato and her students. IT was clear that they had a positive relationship and that the students did not dread her class.
Reflection: Mrs. Brocato’s system for starting class is extremely effective. With the exception of a few chatty students, everyone knew what they had to do upon entering the class, and did it. Her system for checking homework assignments is the same as another teacher I observed at Exeter. They both used stamps on a calendar to account for homework for that day. This is a very efficient method, as it shows students exactly what homework they are missing without the need for them to check with Mrs. Brocato. The only thing that I disagreed with was the fact that she keeps a huge section of her white board with the same morning instructions all year long. I would think that after the first month students would know what is expected of them upon entering the class. Also, she could make the list smaller after the first month if she insists on keeping it up. I just believe that the large amount of white board space could be better used. In relation to what we read about this week in Teach Like a Pirate, I would say that Mrs. Brocato’s class is somewhere in the middle of Mr. Burgess’ class and the “brown cow classes”. While I wouldn’t say that entering her class is like entering another world, I would say that it is a more exciting class than the average, and her students do enjoy themselves.
The class officially began about five minutes after the first student came in. To begin class Mrs. Brocato first checked all of the homework assignments, giving students a stamp in their binder for having their work. After the homework had been checked she discussed the Do Now, which was for the students to write down three professions that used measurements. This class time was generally informal and reminded me of a lively discussion one might witness in a college class. It was structured enough but also with a lot of humor and back and forth between Mrs. Brocato and her students. IT was clear that they had a positive relationship and that the students did not dread her class.
Reflection: Mrs. Brocato’s system for starting class is extremely effective. With the exception of a few chatty students, everyone knew what they had to do upon entering the class, and did it. Her system for checking homework assignments is the same as another teacher I observed at Exeter. They both used stamps on a calendar to account for homework for that day. This is a very efficient method, as it shows students exactly what homework they are missing without the need for them to check with Mrs. Brocato. The only thing that I disagreed with was the fact that she keeps a huge section of her white board with the same morning instructions all year long. I would think that after the first month students would know what is expected of them upon entering the class. Also, she could make the list smaller after the first month if she insists on keeping it up. I just believe that the large amount of white board space could be better used. In relation to what we read about this week in Teach Like a Pirate, I would say that Mrs. Brocato’s class is somewhere in the middle of Mr. Burgess’ class and the “brown cow classes”. While I wouldn’t say that entering her class is like entering another world, I would say that it is a more exciting class than the average, and her students do enjoy themselves.